


A Bee, Queened

by madrastic



Series: SAYER College AU [1]
Category: SAYER (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, M/M, Mutual Pining, Rated M for later Chapters, Slow Burn, also the ais do in fact have emotions, and there's related stuff in the au, and they were ROOMMATES, minimal editing we die like slightly capable men, speech pattern have been slightly altered to sound more "i grew up both mortal and flesh-bound", there's more in this series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 19:11:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18900871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madrastic/pseuds/madrastic
Summary: SAYER college roommates au! Jacob Hale swings by the house, hoping for a distraction. Unfortunately, the residents were also hoping for the very same thing.





	A Bee, Queened

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Roy (robotcorpse on tumblr) for helping me with this! Your input was really helpful! SAYER, FUTURE, Young, SPEAKER, and OCEAN are housemates, Hale is their collective friend who managed to stumble into their lives through SAYER. Yes, this will probably be explored. Sometime. Idk when I'll write more, but I probably will if I remember! Hope yall enjoy!

Knocking on the door of the house, Hale let out a sigh and loosened his hold on the bright red leash wrapped around his fist. He already heard arguing from inside, voices indistinct, but angry nonetheless. Mincer shifted beside him, glancing at Hale, gauging his emotions. Hale smiled at the overprotective dog, giving him a good-natured pat on his side. It was Speaker that opened the door.

“Ah, Jacob! Hello!” Speaker smiled widely at him, hiding his obvious exhaustion and discomfort behind a row of perfectly white teeth.

“Hey, Speaker.” Hale’s own voice was quiet, almost lost in the din as Speaker stepped back, allowing him to pass over the threshold. The inside of the house was chaos, clothing strewn about the floor, dishes stacked in the kitchen, groceries waiting to be put away. He could hear the voices clearer now, too, Sayer shouting and Future delivering sarcastic, mocking replies. Speaker made space on the couch, removing Future’s guitar.

“I could kick help with that, if you want.” Hale mumbled, already reaching for the instrument. “I wouldn’t mind.”

“Oh, I couldn’t, it would just be so rude!” Came Speaker’s jovial reply.

Hale could see the stress wearing away at him. “No, please. Let me do this. Go out, have a walk or a smoke or something. Just get out of the house. You’ll drive yourself crazy staying here.” Hale took the guitar from Speaker’s arms, giving the blonde a gentle smile. “You could take Mincy for a walk? I haven’t gotten a change to, so, he’d really like it.”

At the mention of walks, Mincer perked up, wagging his tail and looking expectantly at his humans. Speaker chuckled. “Yes. Yes, I think you might be right about this one.” He gave Hale a quick hug, taking Mincer’s leash, and leading the rottweiler out of the door. “I’ll be back in fifteen, okay? Please make sure they don’t burn down the house. Or kill each other. Whichever comes first.”

“Of course. Have fun.” Hale gave a wave as the man and dog shut the door, turning his attention to the mess, probably caused during a recent argument. The couch had been shifted out of alignment and pillows thrown about the room.

“I don’t CARE, Future!” Ah. Sayer’s shouts echoed through the house, all the more noticeable for lack of conversation. “Pull your goddamn weight in this house!”

“Pull your goddamn weight!” Future imitated Sayer’s voice, giving it a high, nasal quality. “Just shut UP! Worry about your own stupid self, huh? How about that?”

Hale took a deep breath and gathered up as much moxie as possible. “Hey, you two.” He said calmly, stepping out into the hallway. “Either clean up your mess or I’m leaving right now.”

The two people stopped, as much surprised by his sudden appearance as they were embarrassed to be caught acting so juvenile. “Hale! I, er, I didn’t expect you to come over today!” Sayer straightened, pushing black hair out of his face, fighting down a slight pink creeping into his cheeks.

“And I didn’t expect to walk into a screaming match, but, knowing this household…” Hale purposefully trailed off, dropping his gaze downward. “Could you…?” He motioned to the guitar in his arm.

“Oh! Of course!” Sayer grabbed the offending instrument and looked around, noticing the mess for the first time. “I’m so sorry for the mess, I- I’ll clean it up. Future. Help.”

Future rolled their eyes, tossing their white fringe out of their face. “Yeah, as if.”

They ended up helping out anyway. Hale got to work putting away the groceries, relishing in the quiet of the house. He heard the click of the lock as the door slid open, Mincer racing in ahead of

Speaker to jump around beside Hale. Hale heard Speaker’s chuckle. Turning, he saw him admiring the dent the three of them had made in the mess.

“Wow, it’s so quiet in here.” Speaker laid Miner’s leash on the kitchen counter and moved to help Hale with the dishes that had been left out.

“I know, right. Completely different house.” Hale edged closer to the fridge to accommodate Speaker, lanky as he may have been, the blonde took up space by virtue of height, standing on the under side of six feet, slender, and lean. Not bad looking at all, not that Hale was looking.

“Maybe you should reward a certain someone, hm?” Speaker gave Hale a playful nudge with his hip.

Hale chuckled and avoided Speaker’s gaze. “Ha, ha. Very funny Speaker, but you and I both know I’m not going to start dating Future.” Hale heard Speaker’s calm composure break as a laugh escaped his mouth, paving the way for giggles, bubbling out of his chest.

“God, I could not imagine that, you and Future I mean.”

“Me either, but…” Hale glanced in the direction of a pair of suddenly very busy people who were, at the moment, avoiding looking at all interested in the conversation. “How are classes, by the way? Still having issues with your project?”

“They are going pretty well, actually! I talked to the professor and managed to get an extension!” Speaker chirped.

“Well, that’s good.”

“I know, right! Also, while you’re here, would you consider being a part of my study?”

Hale’s hand pushed a lock of brown hair behind his ear. “I’m, um, not so sure I’d be a good fit. With the accident and all.”

“Oh, right, my apologies. I’m sorry I even brought it up.” Speaker looked back down at the dishes, avoiding looking in Hale’s direction.

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind, really. It happened forever ago. Plus, I’m pretty used to talking about it.” Hale put a hand on Speaker’s shoulder, giving him a smile. “I’d love to be a part of your study. Just remind me what it entails? Bad memory and all.”

Speaker perked up. “Really? Thank you! It’s super simple! I’m looking at how personality dictates status in friendship circles and communities! You just take a quick quiz and sit for an interview. I think, besides Ocean, everyone’s taken it, so it would be really nice to have an example group as a control!”

“Sounds good, man.” Hale finished putting the last of the food in the fridge and closed the door. “You want me to get started on pushing the furniture back, or should we do pillows?”

Speaker sighed dramatically, casting his eyes to the sky, fixed on a far-off point. Placing a hand on his forehead and wiping off non-existent sweat, he lowered his voice, loudly whispering. “Or, and hear me out on this, you could help me put the dishes away and let the kids clean up their own shit? I know it’s so much work, but…” Speaker grinned at Hale and gave a clandestine wink.

Hale chuckled and started stacking cups in the cabinet, watching Sayer’s face twist into indignation in his periphery.

“I am not a child.”

“Alright Sayer, when you act like an adult, I will call you such.” Was Speaker’s even reply.

“I am the older one.”

“And somehow, here Jacob and I are, cleaning up your mess.”

“I’m cleaning.” He pouted.

Hale turned to look at him. He was cute when he pouted, eyebrows drawn together, mouth cast to one side, as if he was deciding whether to grit his teeth in rage or burst into a sly smile. The room was looking much neater, the floor and tables cleared of miscellanea that didn’t belong, thanks to the ministrations of a certain walking mess. Unsurprisingly, to those that knew them, Future was faster at putting their stuff back into the proper order after exploding it across a room, and was currently sprawled out in a chair, strumming their guitar idly, occasionally looking up to watch Sayer, commenting on missed spots. It was Sayer, in the end, that remedied the crooked cant of the couch, shoving it easily back into its proper position. He sat down, on the end closer to the kitchen counter, wanting to join Speaker and Hale in their conversation. Mincer raced to throw himself into Sayer’s lap.

“Thank you!” Speaker sang out, drying his hands on a plaid-striped dishtowel.

“Not a problem.” Sayer said, muffled by the all-too-large lapdog that had decided he was prime real estate.

Hale finished up his task and moved over to bestow pets unto Mincer, showering the overgrown puppy with kisses and affection. Sayer patted the seat next to him, inviting Hale to take a seat. Hale indulged him, stretching out and pacing his feet on the coffee table with a yawn.

“Are you tired?” Sayer asked.

“Fuck yeah.”

“It is 3 PM.”

“I’ve had a long day.” Hale all but mumbled.

“Would you care to talk about it?”

“Fuck no.” Hale said, letting his head rest on Sayer’s shoulder. “Just want to sleep.”

Hale felt Sayer stiffen up under him, giving quick, quiet glances to Speaker and Future, who were watching with thinly veiled interest. “Mmh. Fine.” Hale sat back up and rubbed at his eyes. “Had a bad day in class. Only talked about some dumb shit.”

“Oh? Which class?” Future asked, picking out a simple melody.

“The insect consciousness one.” Hale replied. “We just talked about if wasps have memories and personalities. Kinda just wanted to go down to my hive.”

“How are your bees doing, by the way?” Speaker leaned on the kitchen counter, pushing his hair out of his face with a hand.

Hale sat up straighter at that. “They’re doing good! There was some risk of the hive swarming, but I took care of the swarm cells and put up some decoy hives just in case, but they should stay where they are. The queen is still young enough that she should be able to lay enough for the spring and I shaded the hive, so they don’t overheat, but I might have to replace her next year. I spent some time with my Carnolians and made sure they were okay after the winter and I’m probably going to need to add another brood chamber super so it’s not too full come May.”

It was at this point that everyone, save Hale, in the room noticed the bee crawling on Hale’s shoulder. “Hale?” Sayer tried, leaning away as discretely as he could. “Did you wear a suit when you checked on your bees?”

“No? Why? Did one tag a ride?” Hale scanned his torso and forearms quickly.

“Yes, on your shoulder.” Speaker pointed.

Hale looked, and, after locating the offending insect, gently picked it up in his cupped hands. “Ah, there’s a good baby.” He cooed, letting the bee explore its new, significantly more enclosed environment.

Future turned his full attention to the bee in the house. “Take it outside.”

“What? Why? It’s just sitting?” Hale frowned.

“It’s going to sting all of us.”

“It’s a very gentle species. And bees can only sting once in their lives.”

“It’s a bee.”

“And it’s not hurting anyone.” At this, the bee began to crawl out of Hale’s hands and up his arm. He moved it back to his palms when it got to his elbow.

Speaker watched the bee with interest as it bumbled about. “It’s so calm.”

“Because I’m calm. And it’ll stay that way so long as you all stay calm. It comes from a very gentle species with a very easy queen. I’m not threatening it and I’m being gentle and careful. Why should it feel threatened?” Hale punctuated this by blowing the insect a kiss.

“That’s really smart,” Speaker mused. “Reflecting the behavior that you want to see. I wasn’t aware that bees could read mammalian body language!”

“Yeah! They’re really super smart! They’re very good at identifying threats, and if you don’t act threatening, then you won’t be attacked!” Hale smiled brightly at the little insect in his hands.

Sayer softly pushed Mincer’s paws out of the way, causing the fluffy dog to wander over to Future, presenting his head and wagging his tail, happily awaiting Future’s affections. Sayer lightly brushed against Hale’s shoulder with his chest to get a closer look at Hale’s hands. It was at this moment Young decided to arrive home, slamming the door open and causing everyone to flinch. Which led to the bee buzzing out of Hale’s hands.

“Fuck.” Said Hale, grabbing a cup and jumping up to hunt the bee down.

“I had a shit day at the – holy fuck is that a bee.” Young cut his angry tangent off with a statement bathed in surprise and tinged in concern.

“Yes, now calm down and let me get it.” Hale replied, standing on the couch to get at the bee, which had selected a spot at the edge of the ceiling. “Sayer, move your head or get it yourself.”

Sayer elected to move his head, allowing for Hale to step on the headrest to reach higher. Being 5’6 was not a benefit to catching flying insects. He got the bee anyway, letting it calm down and crawl languidly on the inside of the cup before resting the cup on his thighs and lightly covering the opening with his palm.

“Can I have a piece of paper and some tape?” Hale asked. “I’d rather not transport her with an open cup.”

Speaker handed him the requested materials while Young hugged the wall, reluctant to even look at the cup in question.

“She’s not going to sting you, Young. You just spooked her.” Hale fussed over the bee, making sure she was calm before slowly replacing his hand with the sheet of paper, taping the edges down to prevent any unwanted escapes. Young was clearly not calmed by the matter, opting, instead, to retreat back out the door with an excuse about lunch in the lab tossed over his shoulder.

“I should get going myself.” Hale muttered, easing to his feet. He pointed to Mincer’s leash, lying forgotten on the counter. “Mincy! Leash!”

“Wait, are you sure?” Sayer protested as Mincer reared up, forepaws on the counter, to grab the leash.

“Yeah, I’m tired, need to do work, need to drop off this little lady,” he gestured to the bee in the cup, “I’m probably going to end up taking a nap or something. Swing by if you want. I don’t mind.”

“Would you like me to walk you back?” Sayer was already to his feet.

“No, it’s fine. I’m taking the long way anyway.” Hale clipped the leash onto Mincer’s collar.

“I wouldn’t mind! Really.”

“If it means that much to you, sure.” Hale shrugged.

He put on his shoes and tucked the glass into his jacket pocket, making sure it was secure. “I’ll get this back to you tomorrow, Speaker. Promise.”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all! Take your time!” Speaker crossed the room to give Hale a farewell hug. “Travel safe! And do give my best to your hive!”

Hale grinned at this. “Alright, will do. See you Speaker, bye Future.”

“Good bye, Jacob!” Speaker waved as Sayer opened the door.

“See you, Hale.” Future looked up briefly and gave a two-fingered wave back.

And with that, Hale and Sayer went.

**Author's Note:**

> Liked the tale? Send a message or leave a tip! I'm always down to chat! https://timeslive-inhouse.tumblr.com/


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